We’re here to initiate the turnaround
It’s been a while since I read somewhere the quote that I now turn into the title of this post. I don’t even know where. All I know is that it’s been in resonance with me since.
In a world in which we’re constantly surrounded by images, messages and actions that create and further division, dominance & subordination, and victim-perpetrator dynamics, the question is imminent: how much longer do we want to continue down that rabbit hole?
Many of us carry the inherent sense that there is more to this life than being part of a machinery that pushes our stress to a dangerous level and that keeps on separating us from deep inner fulfillment, a sense of safety & belonging, freedom & self-determination - all of which are substantial to lead a happy & thriving life.
On various levels, not least socio-politically & economically, it becomes obvious that we’re living in a farce, albeit a very cruel one. It becomes so pointed that it begs the question - sooner or later for the majority of us - ‘how long do we want to drag on like that?’
To me there are two routes that we could take: further into anxiety and despair and from there into cynicism, ego-centrism, and the prolonged attempts of keeping the world at bay. The other option is to initiate the turnaround, the return to a deepened personal and shared understanding of what it means to be human, with all the love, the progress, the care, the collaboration, the solidarity (in its truest sense), the creativity that keeps the world turning and in and of itself a beautiful place to be in for the short time that is granted to us.
For the pragmatic, quick-solution-oriented mind the question of “How to do that” quickly arises…and will have to be postponed for a bit longer. Because it’s less about the step-by-step How-to-guide and more about the breaking and pausing to figure where we are emotionally, physically, and mentally at the moment in a world like this.
Where are we triggered? When are we triggered? And how does that make us feel/react? How safe do we feel? Where do we feel our unsafety? What is it that we hope/wish for? What is our vision for this world and - intricately connected - our personal wellbeing? Where can we pull the lever, make small and not-so-small changes to our routines & the way we interact?
Despite the misery that we’re flooded with through our biased media (if we choose to even consume that any longer), there remains a lot to be optimistic about and inspired by, not least the sheer amount of potential and light that each of us carries within, however much buried.
It’s time to let that break through and shine (again). For now it’s hard to imagine how much more light, lightness, collaboration, and creativity will be generated if we choose our focus more consciously and wisely but it’s all there. It’s time to tap into the deep knowing within that there is so much more that facilitates our wellbeing than is visible through the eyes and perceived through our intellect.
Let’s start by making mini-steps each day, connecting with our intuition, taking good care of our precious bodies and minds by choosing wisely what to take in and what not, what to give and when and above everything what to believe/know to be true as our human nature and what not.